7 Things Everyone Asks About Online Learning

This year, over 98% of public colleges and universities will be offering online programs to their students and in five years time, it’s expected that the majority of students will take at least one course online. Online learning is here to stay – and so are the questions students have about taking their courses online.

1 - How do online courses work?

Online courses typically are the general requirement courses that students take before completing a degree. Students can also take online courses to complete electives or lower division foundation courses - Example: Bus 101 for Business Majors. Our online courses are all self-paced, meaning you can start the course whenever you would like and complete it within a time frame that fits your schedule.

2 - How long does an online course take to complete?

On average, it takes a student 75 hours (or 40 days) to complete one of our online college courses. For college level course work, the general rule of thumb is to allocate at least 2-3 hours of study time (reading, homework, review) for each hour spent in the classroom or taking your class online.

However, it all depends on your individual situation, your college course experience, skills, familiarity with the subject matter and the amount of time you have to allocate to the course.

3 - Do I have to complete homework assignments or just take a few exams?

For our courses we only require that students complete all the graded or required assignments such as quizzes, exams, labs and essays and receive a 70% or above in the course. There will be practice assignments that students can complete on their own that are not graded. These practice sessions are solely there for your benefit, an opportunity to test your growing knowledge in a low risk environment.

When you look to transfer credit – the standard guideline (not a rule, every school is a little different!) for getting credit from other institutions will be earning a “C” or better, but some schools will require a number grade and/or have their own definition of what makes up a “C” grade.

In general, however, when folks ask about the different “kinds” of online courses available to them – what they are really asking about is the experience of taking the course as it relates to their own schedule, if they can earn college credit, and whether or not they can take the course at their own pace.

Here are terms used most frequently to describe the different kinds of online college courses - and the experience you will have taking them:

Asynchronous–Students have access to course material anywhere, anytime. Students complete course material around their own schedule. Asynchronous courses offer the most flexibility for working adults.

Synchronous – Real-time delivery of course material. Your teacher is online at the same time you are. You have less control of your schedule, but you are able to take your courses at home or anywhere you have internet access.

Blended – Courses delivered through a combination of online and in-person sessions. Some universities also offer students blended degree program options, providing students flexibility over when, where, and how quickly they move through the online portion of their degree.

rely on the direct assessment of student competency or proficiency to
award college credit,

have “all you can eat” or subscription pricing models, and

are very attractive to working adults.

5 - Do I need a book and does it come with the course?

One major obstacle standing in the way of college student achievement is the extraordinary cost of textbooks. We’ve seen the great lengths our students have gone through to track down affordable textbooks, wasting valuable time and money. At StraighterLine, students have immediate access to the the eTextbook required in their course -- available anywhere, anytime -- and for free.

6 - How much does an online course cost?

Our courses are very affordable. We have different pricing plans that a student can choose from. The most popular is our $99 StraighterLine Membership, which is a monthly subscription. With the StraighterLine Membership you are billed $99 every 30 days until you complete the course or courses and cancel the subscription. With the subscription each course you add starts at $59. The number of courses you can add to the subscription is unlimited.

7 - How much does it cost to earn an online degree?

The cost of earning an online degree varies greatly between institutions, the amount of transfer credit you have earned, and the use of any scholarships you have been awarded.

Currently, some of the most affordable online degrees are being earned by those enrolled in competency-based degree programs. Schools that are part of the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) cost between about $2,500 and $6,000 per year, and it’s possible for students can shave a year or more off their overall time to degree. Almost all competency-based learning programs accept ACE Credit recommended courses in transfer – and most are also StraighterLine Partners.